


Dormez-Vous?

by Wolfkid9963



Series: "Domendigo-Womendigo" AU [1]
Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Broken Bones, not outright stated but it's there, or some other wendigo spirit maybe, spirit possession, technically the Makkapitew is there too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 19:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16603718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfkid9963/pseuds/Wolfkid9963
Summary: This is how Beth Washington survives the mines, with the help of her sister.





	Dormez-Vous?

**Author's Note:**

> I present, my first Until Dawn fanfic, as well as my first posted fanfic in a long, long time.  
> I'm quite rusty, so I apologize for: overuse of pronouns, switching tenses and anything confusing. Let me know if you want me to clear something up!

It’s been 3 hours since Beth woke up. 3 hours since she had dragged herself into a small cave. 3 hours since she realized that she had no idea how to get back to the lodge.

Her body ached, and the arm she landed on was throbbing painfully. It hung limply by her side, broken. She had given up trying to make the pain go away.

The wide cave opening barely had any shelter from the blizzard, but the youngest Washington didn’t dare go deeper into the cave. She could get lost, or trapped, never to be found again.

Beth hated to admit it, but she was thankful for Hannah’s refusal to wear her jacket. When she found her twin shivering, curled into a ball in the middle of a small clearing in the woods, she adamantly said no to the offered jacket. _“No, you need it more than me,”_ she had said, even though what she was wearing was so much worse at protecting her from the cold than Beth’s sweater.

 _Oh, God, Hannah,_ she thought with a sob. Who knows where she is? When Beth woke up, her twin was nowhere to be found. The only signs that she had been near had been the runoff of snow leading into a chasm, piled significantly less high than the surrounding area. She tried peeking into the hole, but darkness stared back.

Is Hannah even alive? Or is she suffering down in a cave similar to the one Beth had been residing in, freezing, bleeding out? Any calls she made into the cave and hole had no reply other than her own voice echoing back at her.  Any chances of her managing to find Hannah are essentially nil. So, what’s the point of thinking about it if there’s no chance of it?

Beth will just have to wait until the storm passes. Then she can get out and find her way back to the lodge. Alert the others (and maybe punch Mike in his stupid, chiselled jaw).

With one last glance to the cave entrance, she leaned back against the uncomfortable cave wall, and fell into a fitful sleep.

 

* * *

 

Beth’s slumber was interrupted quite harshly. At some point she rolled to her side and fell over, not only causing her head to impact the floor, but also causing her body to press weight against her broken arm. Immediately, she jumps up to a sitting position, shouting out curses that would make a sailor blush. Heavy breathing ensued, a steeling of nerves. She waits until the pain returns to its regular throbbing and relaxes. The Washington then remembers where she is, and quickly looks out to the cave entrance.

Snow stopped, but it’s still dark. Who knows what else could happen if she goes out at that moment?

It’s then that she remembers. The monster chasing them. She remembers staring into the dark forest edge and seeing the eyes. The limbs. The scarred skin. Then the falling, the panic. Gripping  onto her sister and the branch with every fibre of her being. She faintly remembers seeing fire fly out over the cliff’s edge, screeching, shouting…

And then she was falling, screaming, her sister right next to her. The last thing she remembers is a figure faintly peeking over the edge.

Who was that? Sam? Josh?

Beth didn’t have any time to dwell on that thought, as she heard something that sent chills down her spine. A screech, almost identical to the ones she heard echoing through the forest a few hours earlier, but significantly quieter. She scrambled to her feet, alert. She knows that the cave echoes, and the scream had no echo. It came from outside.

Beth realized that she had been presented with a choice – go out and risk being caught by whatever-the-fuck’s out there or retreat into the cave with the possibility of getting lost or trapped.

She almost immediately made her decision, turning her back to the entrance, and walked into the welcoming void.

 

* * *

 

The cave lead into mines.

A single hole split into many upon finding the first scaffold, and Beth decided to stay there. She didn’t want to risk getting lost.

 

* * *

 

Beth almost got caught by one of those screaming monsters just a few hours later.

It was either living in the mines or had randomly wandered into the cave, but it came nonetheless. At the time, she was struggling to keep her eyes open, the cold and her hunger the only things keeping her from sleep. Then there was the screeching, followed by one of those things crawling into her vision on the wall. The Washington let out a scream to rival the monster’s and immediately its eyes were on her. She stood and ran as fast as she could through the cave, adrenaline fuelling her panic.

She was sure she was going to die down here because of this thing, but she kept on running anyway. She didn’t focus on where she was going, she just ran, deeper and deeper into the mines. She smashes through some planks of wood that blocked her path, barely feeling the impact. She hopes that she won't run into any proper dead-ends.

At some point Beth stumbled upon a small alcove obscured slightly by panels of wood. She dove behind them, and something inside her told her to stay very still. Trusting her gut, she stiffens. She could hear the creature scuffle nearby, letting out little half-shrieks as it searched for her. Beth didn’t dare to move.

Then, it was moving again, screaming getting quieter as it went away. Once Beth knew for sure that it was gone, she pulled herself up. The adrenaline ebbed out of her system, and she fell right back down.

 

* * *

 

She dreamed of Christmas time and opening gifts with her siblings and parents. She dreamed of opening Josh’s gift and laughing when she realized it was a sweater that matched with Hannah’s. She dreamed of immediately putting it on and Hannah insisting on taking a picture. She dreamed of complying as tar filled the room, but she paid no mind to it. She dreamed of smiling a smile that didn’t know the bitter cold of the mines.

 

* * *

 

Beth woke up in the same position she fell asleep in. The fact that she was on her stomach was convenient in helping her get to a kneeling position, but almost immediately after pushing herself up she was hit with a massive headache. She nearly fell right back over, but gripped onto the wooden panels in order to steady herself. Once her head stopped spinning, she pulled herself up, but was faced with another wave of dizziness. She fell onto the wooden panel, holding it with a loose grip. The youngest Washington huffed, suddenly angry at herself for breaking her promise not to go further into the mines. She was fully prepared to mentally scold herself, but something made her pause.

An echo.

Very, very, very faint, almost unnoticeable.

But how could she miss it?

_“Hello! Is anyone there!?”_

A voice that matches her own.

_Hannah._

 

All traces of nausea left Beth’s system immediately, and  she followed the echoing voice of her sister. The shouts guided her in the direction she came from, but once it got louder it was cut off with a sob. Even if it was quieter than her hoarse shouting, Beth didn’t miss it. She can’t. She knew her sister like the back of her hand, and if she’s crying she knows it.

_“God, Beth, I’m sorry…”_

That ripped Beth’s heart in half. She desperately wanted to grab a hold of her sister, hug her, show her that she’s done nothing wrong, but she can’t, they’re as far away from each other as they can possibly be.

More quiet sobs echoed through the mines, and Beth suddenly had an idea. She cleared her throat, cupping a hand around her mouth, and shouts:

“I forgive you.”

The shout echoed to a satisfying degree around the cave, and the sobbing didn’t follow. Beth tensed, waiting for any other indication that her twin heard.

One beat.

Then two.

Then ten.

Ten turns to a minute, and Beth loses any hope of getting a reply.

“Beth!? BETH!?”

Just as she made a move to leave, the shouts echo throughout the cavern. The voice of her sister was a mix of panic and relief, a definite waver and crack. Beth was absolutely elated, and armed with the knowledge of her sister’s status, she formed a reply.

“Yes! Hannah, where are you!?”

It took another minute to get a reply.

“I-I don’t know! It’s dark and cold and God… My leg is broken, and there are bodies everywhere and ohmygod…”

Beth could barely understand her reply, all the syllables melding into one as they bounced off the walls coupling with her fast speech. But, she could just figure it out, and a wave of sympathy washed over her like no other.

“Calm down. I… I’m going to try and find my way out. I’m going to get help, okay? You’re gonna be fine.”

This time it took more than a minute. 5? An hour? Beth couldn’t tell.

“Okay.”

And with that, Beth started walking.

 

* * *

 

Okay, so, Beth was lost. Like, intensely lost.

But she wasn’t alone.

She had Hannah, while they may not be together physically, their predicaments made them feel together in spirit. Occasionally she'd shout to her sister, and receive a reply of reassurance. It still didn't change the fact that wherever she walked, she ended up in the same halls, never ascending or descending. Did she turn here already? Has she gone the other path? How about this way? Every path she chose ultimately lead back into a terrifyingly large room, a miniature lake the main centrepiece. Beth didn't dare cross it.

Beth found multiple ladders that lead up to higher levels, and she _could_ attempt to climb them with only one working arm _if_ they weren't so high up… and if she wasn't extremely concerned for her life.

The younger twin wasn't sure about how many times she collapsed, either from pain from her arm or fatigue. She dropped to the floor any place she felt was safe and away from those _monsters_. Every time she woke up she felt just as tired as before, a headache always following soon after opening her eyes. She felt her body get weaker and weaker, her head spun and spun, and her stomach was constantly cramping up with pain. Her dry throat throbbed after every shout to Hannah, but the youngest Washington pushed away the thought of drinking the lake water as soon as it popped into her head. Who knows what could be in there? There could be decomposing body parts, for all she knows.

 

* * *

 

Beth felt that she would never get out of these horrible, horrible mines. It was a tedious cycle: pick a path. Walk down it. Come across a fork in the hall. Walk down one. Find another fork, only to find that it's the same one you've been at before.

Beth's hunger was gnawing away at her insides, and she had stopped talking to Hannah for her own safety. Her arm ached, her eyes and nose and mouth filled with dirt, any exposed skin covered in grime. She barely registered coming to the way-too-familiar split in the path for the umpteenth time. She barely noticed it because of the sudden sobs that racked her body as she fell to her knees. Her frustration lead to losing any hope she had left of leaving the mines. The path was taunting her, presenting her with a multitude of choices that all lead to the same conclusion. It was so disheartening for the younger twin that it had caused her to break, for the first time in a very, very long time. She heaved, one arm wrapped around her stomach as her body curled into itself. She let out a scream, not caring for the burning in her throat anymore. It was long, loud and hoarse, and she screamed until her throat was even more raw than before.

Afterwards, she kneeled there, sobbing into her jacket.

_“Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,_ _Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous? Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines! Ding, dang, dong! Ding dang dong…”_

Beth stopped as the gentle melody echoed through the mine. A familiar feeling buzzed inside her chest as he eyes widened. Immediately she felt like she was 7 years old again, and Hannah had skinned her knee.

The young Hannah was crying loudly, even after the teacher had applied a couple of Band-Aids. Beth had no proper idea of how to help, but she _did_ have a very _vague_ one. She _does_ know her twin like the back of her hand, after all.

She began to sing the familiar rhyme, quieting Hannah immediately. Her twin looked up at her while she sang, teary-eyed. The last of her tears dripped down her face, and she hugged Beth, thanking her.

That incident. That's the reason why it's their favourite nursery rhyme, even now. This time, however, the roles were reversed. It wasn't Beth who was giving comfort, it was Hannah. It wasn't her that was breaking down, it was Beth.

Her frustration flowed out of her body like her tears flowed down her face. Eventually, she was kneeling in the dirt, simply listening to Hannah's singing as she repeated the rhyme. It cleared Beth's head, and it restored a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, she could get out of the mines, for herself. For Josh.

For Hannah.

As if some mysterious doorway in her mind opened, something clicked. The large room… she never properly explored her edge of it. That could be her way out!

Suddenly fuelled with adrenaline, Beth jumped up and began running down the path that lead to the large room. Whenever she came across the room previously, she always immediately walked out, angry. This time, however, she took a good look at the cave wall of the path she came out of, Hannah's singing louder than it ever was before. Her eyes landed on some wooden panels, broken, and realization hits her like a brick.

_That's the wall she broke when she was being chased._

Beth was on the brink of pure ecstasy as she walked towards the planks of wood. She forgets her throat for a moment to excitedly shout to her sister: “Hannah! I… I found a way out! _I can get out!”_

An excited shout reaches Beth's ears, and she pauses. While she had realized that it was significantly louder earlier, she only just noticed how long it took to reach her ears.

Just a little over a second.

Beth became even more elated when she figured out that Hannah was somewhere within this particular cavern, probably across the lake. They were _both_ saved!

“Don't worry, Hannah! We're _both_ getting out of this! I'll be back soon!”

Hannah let out another shout, though it was noticeably watery, with a hint of something else she can't quite place. Beth smiled, breathing in a shaky breath, before slipping through the planks and retracing her steps.

 

* * *

 

Not long later, Beth was at the scaffolding. She was about to celebrate finding another landmark when she heard something that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Footsteps.

The youngest Washington jumped behind a wall, pressing herself into it in the hopes that she could become one with it and disappear. The footsteps slowly came closer, and Beth screwed her eyes shut.

God, she had been _so_ close.

The footsteps grew even louder. She realized that there was more than one pair.

 _Are there_ herds _of the monsters now?_

Beth took in a deep breath, but it got caught in her throat when a light shone through her eyelids.

“Holy shit, Beth!?”

She opened her eyes wide at the familiar voice's shout. The light from his torch burned her retinas, but it also reflected off of his token rectangular glasses and even slightly illuminated one of his many, bulky layers.

Beth immediately dove onto Chris, gripping him tightly in a one-armed hug. Chris hugged back, squishing her arm against her side.

“Ow, owowow! Broken arm, broken arm!” the brunette exclaimed, and the blonde immediately backed off. Just as soon as he let go, a man she doesn't recognize asks to examine her arm. One quick look at his hat and jacket confirm him to be a Blackwood Ranger, the logos easily identifiable. She nods at him.

It only takes him one swift movement for him to confirm that her arm is broken, the biggest damage in her forearm near her wrist specifically.

“We need to get you to a hospital. Immediately.” The Ranger's formality sent a shiver down Beth's spine, but Chris placing his hand on her shoulder calmed her.

“But- My sister, she-“

“We need to go.” The Ranger glanced around the room after cutting off Beth. “You don't know what might be down here.”

In a calm and professional manner, he guides Beth out of the mines and towards a helicopter, Chris following behind. The tall blonde attempted to pry into Beth's earlier idea about Hannah once they were up and flying, but she stayed silent, staring at nothing in particular, mind empty.

All thoughts about her sister are gone.

 

* * *

 

 

It's been a little over a week since Beth and Hannah Washington disappeared.

And it's been 20 minutes since Beth was rescued from the mines.

She’s passed out cold in the helicopter, head in Chris's lap.

For the first time in days, she dreamed.

She dreamed about being trapped in tar, a demonic force telling her to plunge her head into the liquid.

She never does.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed.  
> This fanfic is a part of my Half-Wendigo Hannah AU, which you can see more of over here: https://domendigo-womendigo.tumblr.com/  
> Of course I had to take some creative liberties when it came to the mines... I don't remember the exact layout but I did want to deviate because that's what ultimately saves Beth.


End file.
